Houston in top 5 for Q2 U.S. job growth

Houston ranks fifth in the nation for second-quarter job growth among the largest 100 markets, according to an On Numbers analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Houston had a score of 1.113. Scores were based on annual private-sector growth rates during the past five years, jobless rates over the past 12 months and raw changes in private-sector employment in half a decade.

The city had a five-year job growth of 4.98 percent and a one-year job growth of 2.57 percent. That is despite an unemployment rate of 9 percent, which put Houston in the middle of the pack.

Boston is No. 1 in the latest standings with a score of 1.457. Rounding out the top five are Ogden, Utah; Worcester, Mass.; and Dallas-Fort Worth.

Boston is one of just 13 markets, including Houston, that has more private-sector jobs now than five years ago. Its growth rate in the past 12 months was 2.7 percent, and its unemployment rate is a relatively low 7.1 percent.